With two Southwest Austin locations, Backspin offers more than an average sports bar

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Backspin Sports Bar, a Slaughter Lane institution that expanded last year to a second location in Belterra Village in Dripping Springs, prides itself on being more than your average sports bar.

While Backspin has all of the familiar sports bar trappings—ample TVs, plentiful beer options and comfortable digs—it also features a wide-ranging menu with fresh dining options. Executive Chef Joseph Farner offers a spin on traditional items such as burgers and sandwiches, always “as fresh as possible,” he said. He also includes outside-the-box concepts for a sports bar, including a Sunday brunch menu with eggs Benedict and biscuits and gravy.

“That’s the difference between us and other sports bars: the food,” said Trey Mathis, who co-owns both Backspin locations with his wife, Brooke.

According to the owners, the new location in Belterra Village receives more traffic from families and around double the food orders compared with the original Slaughter shop. Farner said the locations’ differing demographics come with different tastes.

“I’ve had nine years to try and learn what people like over [at the original location], so I have a pretty good idea of what the regulars expect and what they like to see in food there,” he said.

As they continue to learn diners’ tastes in the Belterra community, the Backspin team said they will develop menu items unique to the new location. With a rotating menu, there is plenty of room to experiment, but a core menu of bestsellers always stays.

Some classic menu items hold popularity at both shops. Between the two locations, Farner said Backspin goes through 10 40-pound cases of wings per week. Daily specials like prime rib Fridays and taco Tuesdays and the bars’ selection of draft beers, local wines and custom cocktails are ever-popular, the team said.

The Backspin team said they hope to build a base of dedicated regulars in Belterra, as they have done at the Slaughter Lane location, as well as mirror the dedication of the original staff, many of whom have worked with Backspin since it opened in 2010.

Olivia is the reporter for Community Impact's Southwest Austin edition. She graduated from Presbyterian College with a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing in 2017. Olivia was a reporter and producer at South Carolina Public Radio in Columbia, South Carolina before joining Community Impact in Austin.